The night before her date, Kya wanders the moonlit marsh, dancing alone and awakening to desire. She imagines being touched and notes that Chase’s gaze has stirred something different than Tate’s, heightening both excitement and fear.

In the morning, Kya meets Chase by boat. On the ride to Point Beach, small touches build tension. They walk the shore in companionable quiet, examining shells. Chase plays his harmonica, then finds an ornate scallop; Kya effortlessly identifies its Latin name and range, surprising him. He gives her the shell, and they settle to a generous picnic.

As they eat and talk about seabirds, Chase eases closer, kisses Kya, and quickly escalates, pushing her blouse up and pressing between her legs. Startled and offended by the abruptness, Kya pulls away. She measures his haste against the courtship rituals she knows from nature and concludes she deserves more than food and a rush to mating.

Chase apologizes and offers to take her back, but Kya bolts into the woods, running across the peninsula. Alone, she wrestles shame, sadness, and anger—yearning for touch yet rejecting being used. She reaches her boat without him, resolved to guard her worth and wary of Chase’s intentions.